


Binding Contract

by grumpyphoenix



Series: Brain Salad [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas Party, Friend Floof, Gen, Mall AU, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 12:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15072716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grumpyphoenix/pseuds/grumpyphoenix
Summary: Sam and Castiel are forced to work together to plan the Mall Security's Christmas Party.





	Binding Contract

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:  
> Character A and Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party. Taken from [ This list.](http://fanficy-prompts.tumblr.com/), and modified slightly.

“Do you know how psychotic that sounds?” Charlie maneuvers herself through the cafeteria, giving the hairy eyeball to a gaggle of teenagers trying to take the table she’d marked as hers.

Sam sighs, squishing himself into the seat. He hates these plastic preformed chairs you can’t push back. He also ignores the giggling coming from said teenagers. He knows he’s getting ogled. He hates it.

Anyway. “The guy is a dick, Charlie. We were friends when we both started work here, but when he got promoted...someone in management has to have it out for me.”

Charlie spears salad on a fork. “That’s what I mean, Sam. No one who works in Management even knows you exist. Concocting some conspiracy is asinine. Especially because it’s just an order to work on the Christmas party this year.

“What’s the problem anyway? Get some cheesy decorations from the dollar store, set out some soda and snacks, play Christmas music and make everyone give each other presents with money they don’t have. Same as every year.”

Sam sighs. “Yeah, but...that’s the problem, see...”

...

“I don’t want this to be a throw-away party.” Castiel moves through the security office for the McGuffin Galleria Mall, clipboard in hand.

Sam sighs, trailing along after him. When Castiel had been promoted, he’d taken his job far more seriously than anyone else before him, which meant that half the security force had been fired. But he’d hired Charlie, so that was an improvement. It also meant that once an hour, he made rounds. Checking on people. It pissed everyone off, and the fact that Sam was a sudden defacto second in command had meant his social standing had plummeted.

“No one cares, Cas.” Castiel stops and looks at him. “Mr. Novak,” Sam amends.

Castiel continues walking. “That’s because they hate me. Which is fine, but they should feel able to relax and partake of holiday cheer.”

Sam sighs. “They don’t want to. And I don’t get how Management even cares about the security Christmas Party.”

He turns and looks at Sam, eyes fierce. “Well, they do, so I suppose we should get on with it.”

Castiel turns and walks away, the set of his shoulders indicating that he doesn’t want to be followed. Sam narrows his eyes, thinking.

...

Of course he has to put the decorations up, because he’s tall enough to only need a footstool to hang garlands, whereas Charlie, designated bossy friend, is too short.

Charlie hands him a shiny iridescent garland. “I have to admit, the money he spent makes everything look festive instead of sad.”

Sam snorts. “Hours. We spent hours picking them out. At least he bought me dinner.”

She tilts her head, passing Sam a thumbtack. “Hours on garlands?”

“Well, no. I mean, we talked about the food, and music. Movies. Do you know that he hates Star Wars? Who does that?“

She hums, biting back a smile. “You hate Star Wars.”

Sam hops down with a huf and a smirk. “Well. I’m a freak.”

Charlie hands him a set of shiny purple glass balls. “You know that Management didn’t tell him to rope you into this.”

Sam picks one out of the box and plays with it, frowning. “I know. I forgot how fun it was to talk to him. Maybe he missed being my friend too. I guess I wish he could just say that.”

...  
“All I’m saying,” Castiel insists, shopping bag swinging from one hand, “Is that Picard is clearly the better Captain.”

Sam rolls his eyes, futzing with his sweater so he can take a bite of hot dog, steaming in the cold air. Whatever he was about to say gets forgotten as a groan of happiness escapes him. “Thank you for this. Street food is the best.”

Cas smiles, actually smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners, before he seems to remember himself and pretends to be aloof. “Well, I owed you something for the time you took out of your day to help with the party. I… I suppose I should go home and let you have your night.”

Sam grins around the hot dog. “Or, you can come over and I can prove just how much better Kirk is.”

Cas pauses and then nods tentatively, a smile lurking in the corner of his mouth.

...

Charlie looks at the decorations. “It’s missing something.”

Sam laughs, “It is missing nothing. Cas...Mr. Novak and I were really thorough.”

She snorts. “Mr. Novak.”  
  
Sam shrugs sadly.

Charlie plasters on a grin. “Well, time to put on the music. Mall is almost closed. Wipe the frown off your face, let’s spike some punch.”

…

Sam pushes a broom around the breakroom, picking up stray glitter and wrapping paper, listening to Cas pick up cups someplace behind him. “This was a great party, Mr. Novak. You were right, everyone just needed to let off steam.”

Castiel just grunts in reply, and they clean in silence for a minute, before Castiel calls out. “Sam, didn’t Charlie say she thought the party was missing a decoration?”

Sam ties up the bag of garbage and looks over. Castiel is standing in the door to his office with a weird look on his face, so he goes over.

“Yeah, she did, but we didn’t miss anything. It was as decorated as it could get. Why?”

He points into his office and Sam sees a tiny tree on his desk, plugged into the computer. It blinks gently, red-green-yellow. He smiles. “That’s cute.”

Castiel looks at him. “Sam, please stop calling me Mr. Novak. I thought if you called me that, it would make me more professional. Truth is, I just alienated my best friend.”

Sam smiles widely, and hugs Cas, ignoring the squeak of alarm from his friend.

When he’s done, Cas looks at him, face inches from his. “The tree wasn’t the only thing Charlie thought was missing.”

Sam tilts his head curiously. Cas jerks upwards with his chin instead of moving to point, keeping the full body contact. Pinned quietly to the doorjamb is a sprig of plastic mistletoe. A plastic winky-face emoji has been glued to it.

Cas narrows his eyes at it, and then looks at Sam, a smirk flirting with the corners of his mouth. “Is that binding?”


End file.
